“And now, breaking news. Police in Anchorage, Alaska are searching for a girl who escaped from the hospital last night. Police have set up a hotline for anybody who has…”

Charles and Eugene frowned at the news report. “It’s been three days and nothing. The whole city losing gravity for a brief moment should have been front page news all over the world, but it’s been barely mentioned. How the hell is that possible?” Charles muttered to himself, sitting in the hospital’s waiting room with his and Eugene’s families.

“Government with a massive dose of luck,” replied Eugene. “I know that multiple agencies were involved in silencing the events that occurred. Quite an embarrassment, a bunch of Navy SEALs getting disarmed by a bunch of middle schoolers.”

“And the drone that one Creator took down, any idea where that came from?”

Eugene shook his head, “No, unfortunately. Everything checks out; Coleman never authorized the use of the drone and every drone in the Armed Forces is still accounted for. Plus, the wreckage of the drone has no indication of who was operating it. Due to the apparent custom design of the drone, there is no way to track down who built it.”

“Nothing? God damn it to hell.”

Eugene lowered his head, deep in thought for a brief moment. “The fact that there isn’t any way to track it isn’t the problem. The problem is that the drone was clearly aiming at Bug. Someone, somewhere, knows who that girl is. Eyewitness accounts from the Creators indicate Cane was fully aware of who the girl was, but his mental state at the time was chaotic. Scans of the body revealed a severely damaged brain. It was a miracle the guy was even functioning.”

Charles sighed, “Yeah, that’s true. But if he knew who she was, that means that others might know as well. And seeing how he went about the attempted kidnapping, they probably don’t have her best interests in mind.”

“Neither did anybody else in our family,” retorted Eugene, remembering what had happened the last few times Bug had been with the family. “We haven’t exactly treated her well and we should have been better towards her regardless.”

Charles eyed his brother. “Why? Because she’s a level 5?”

“Because she’s a child,” Eugene shot back.

Charles looked away, seemingly agreeing with that. It was true no matter which way you put it. The girl was a child, scared and alone in the world. No matter what was going on in the outside world, that was no way to treat a child, level 5 or not.

“Despite that, I still don’t trust her.” Eugene and Charles turned around, perplexed, looking at Margaret.

“Even after everything she has done?”

“Even after that, she still has no memories of her past life. We have no idea what her real personality is like. That’s a bad sign right off the bat. Not to mention the attack. Coleman may have brought Wolfe and his Navy SEALs, but the reason why the Creators won that battle is because none of the SEALs were carrying live ammunition. They were rubber bullets, meant to stun but not kill. And then the attack from the drone -- whoever was manning it was shooting to kill. And when there is one, there is always another. Whoever was responsible, they’ll try it again.”

Eugene pondered about this. It was true that keeping her around posed a danger to the rest of the family. “Yes, they will. However, we cannot hold any of this against her.”

Margaret glared at him. “Really? We can’t hold this against her? Everything that has happened in the last month is because of her. The Destructors, our daughter getting hurt, Dr. Silas dying… hell, the entire political turmoil that has resulted in this is because of her. If Galen hadn’t locked down information, the ramifications of that battle between the Creators and the Destructors would have caused enough panic that it would have burned away the ceasefire and war would have resumed. One girl, plunging the entire world into war.” Eugene wanted to say something in Bug’s defense, but Margaret raised her hand to stop him. “Before you say ‘If we all had been honest with her from the beginning, she wouldn’t have run away that night’, you all have said that Cane and the Destructors were coming after her from the beginning. If Bug hadn’t run away that night, the Destructors would have simply attacked the house after making quick work of the Creators with the Siphon Destructor. If Nancy hadn’t taken her in, if Frederick and Galen hadn’t conspired to keep Bug with Nancy out of guilt, if she had just been placed in a damn home, none of this chaos would have happened. Don’t forget, people are dead because of this.”

Eugene looked away, taken back by his wife’s arguments. As much as he wanted to deny it all, she had a point. Everything that had happened was centered around the girl, even if she wasn’t aware of it. However, while Eugene acknowledged his wife had a point, he knew that it came with an obvious issue, it put whoever had taken Bug in danger. Those people were going to find out sooner or later and chaos would have still reigned. Yeah, the chaos that has plagued their family wouldn’t have happened, but it would have happened to someone else regardless.

“Are we not going to talk about the fact that when Bug brought Grandma back to life, she whispered Jared’s name?” Sean, Eugene and Margaret’s oldest living son, asked. “We all heard it.”

Eugene shook his head, dismissing the thought. “Jared has been dead for thirteen years. Bug doesn’t know him. No one does. He’s gone.”

“Unless she’s his daughter…” Sean mumbled. Everybody looked at him, causing Sean to raise his arms in defense. “Hey, we all know that even though Jared saw himself as a guy, he was still biologically female and thus, might have had kids..”

“She isn’t. We all know that Jared could never have kids, not after what happened. Plus, there are probably thousands of people with the name Jared. She could be talking about anybody.” Eugene wanted to shut down this conversation about Jared before it got emotional. It wasn’t the time.

Sean turned his attention to Lacey, who had been sitting quietly throughout this entire thing. “She trusts you. What do you know?”

“Haven’t you been paying attention? She has complete amnesia. So how can she tell me things that she herself doesn’t even remember?” Lacey snapped back.

Sean glared at his little sister, but the doctor coming into the waiting room ended any argument between Lacey and her brother. “Good, you’re all together. That saves me the trouble.”

“How is our mother, Doc?” Charles asked worriedly.

“She’s fine. She is asleep and should wake up soon,” the doctor informed everybody. “However, we ran a bunch of tests. As it turns out, whatever…” The doctor stopped and looked at his chart sheet, apparently trying to figure out which name to use.

“Uh.. Bug,” Lacey informed the doctor.

“Ah, yes, well, whatever Bug did to Nancy to… bring her back… well, it fixed her body. Nancy is 100% cancer free.” The tone of the doctor’s voice made it clear that he couldn’t believe what he was saying or even seeing. People just don’t come back to life. “You know, I’ve been a doctor for twenty years. I worked under Dr. Silas herself, God rest her soul, and with every strange thing that I have seen and heard of, I never thought I would actually see something like this. A level 5? Everything I know tells me that this is impossible, but here we are.”

Eugene chuckled. “How do you think I feel about all of this, being the director of the CDC?”

The doctor himself chuckled at that and shook his head, agreeing to the impossibility of the situation. “Well, Nancy is fine. Don’t worry about her. However, the girl… she’s a different story. For one, she is far from fine. It seems that level 5s also operate under the same rules as normal superhumans. What she did, while it seems impossible, works by the same power rules as regular abilities. Simply put, the amount of power she used to resurrect Nancy was far beyond any tolerance level she may have built up and as a result, has damaged her body. She’s lying in a coma.”

Lacey approached the doctor, her face showing fear for the life of Bug. “Is she dying?”

The doctor lowered his eyes. “Unless we can treat her, in a few days, she will.”

“What do you mean ‘unless we can treat her’? Isn’t that what you are supposed to be doing?” Lacey asked in confusion over the obvious medical solution, despite the fact that of course, they have never seen this before.

“Yes. But there is a problem. Her powers are actively preventing us from doing anything to help her heal. And it isn’t random reactions. It’s calculated, as if her powers are applying mathematical calculations to their reactions. We’ve only theorized this before, but it seems that the girl’s abilities have developed some sort of independent will and thus are capable of acting on their own accord. And what they want right now is to protect her from everything, including doctors,” the doctor admitted to the present problem.

Eugene didn’t know what to think. The doctor was right, they had only theorized the idea of self-willed powers. There were so many experiments conducted worldwide in hopes of achieving anything close to this and they’d always ended in failure. Now, not only had they learned that the level 5s had returned through Bug, but that Bug’s powers could do as they pleased. While this did explain a lot when it came to Bug’s seemingly random power emergencies, it also brought forth a lot of questions. “What are they doing to keep you from helping her?”

The doctor rubbed the back of his head. “Everything they possibly can. We cannot give her food, keep her hydrated, or anything. They even shock the nurses everytime we try to hook her to a heart monitor. Hell, they shock us every time we even try listening to her heart. Basically, they will not allow us to touch her.” Nobody knew what to say to this. But the doctor wasn’t finished. “I took a look at the records from when Bug was first admitted to the hospital in Lexington. The doctors there detail numerous scars and bruises, as well as apparent internal injuries. I believe that what we are seeing is a defensive response due to severe physical and physiological trauma. My best guess is that it was due to her being tortured, likely under threat.”

Lacey gasped in shock. Eugene felt his legs grow weak. He heard Margaret whisper ‘Oh my god.’ All around, the full weight of this revelation crashed down on the family. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

The doctor sighed. “That’s not all. There was a screw-up at the lab, so Galen had her DNA retested. It was originally believed that the girl was thirteen or fourteen years of age. Now, we know that to be wrong.” The doctor stopped, hestating on revealing the real age. His hands fumbled with the clipboard he was carrying. It wasn’t good.

“How old is she?” Eugene questioned, certainly not wanting an answer after finding out that she was likely tortured.

The doctor looked away, seemingly not wanting to answer the question. He even had to wipe a tear away. “She’s only twelve years old,” the doctor finally said. Those words were a stab to the heart to everybody. Yeah, it was true that the majority of the family did not like or trust the girl, but Eugene felt his heart cry out upon hearing that someone could subjectage a mere child to such torture. Honestly, this advanced DNA testing that developed for identifying the dead during the war had produced far more… terrible results than good. The doctor cleared his throat, bringing Eugene’s attention back to him. After everything he had revealed, it seems he still wasn’t done. “There is one more thing. We know who her family is.”

Lacey breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, some good news.”

Although, the look on the doctor’s face suggested otherwise. “Take this as you will. The DNA results cannot tell us who her father or mother is. But we know with absolute certainty that she is closely related to your family, Eugene.”

Mind shattered, hearts dropped. Time came to a standstill and the entire family muttered in shock… “What?”

------------

Sitting in the empty hospital cafeteria, Galen was wrapping up a phone call with Frederick. “Take care, Frederick.” Galen hung up after discussing events that had taken place over the last few days. The General had taken the news of his mother’s death, resurrection, and Bug being a level 5 surprisingly well. But then again, he’d witnessed firsthand the death and destruction of Lhasa and led the war in the Asian Theater for thirteen years, so it was likely nothing really surprised him anymore.

Galen sighed and dialed up another number, but he was interrupted by Eugene plopping down in a seat across from and taking out one of the sandwiches he had bought, clearly trying to stress eat. “I can’t believe it. She’s related to us? How? How? HOW? We all know how many children we all have. We know about all our relatives. None of us has any missing child and we both know that Jared physically couldn’t have kids and nothing in the world could change that. It’s possible that someone took our DNA, but why? None of us has any power of worth. The strongest one in the family is Lacey. And even if someone in the family had a child from a one night stand, there is no way we have the DNA necessary to give an offspring powers of a level 5! Level 5s are extinct, well, they were extinct, and extinct things do not come back naturally…”

Galen amused himself with Eugene’s rambling until he stopped. “So I see the doctor told you about Bug being related to you.” Eugene nodded as he chewed. “Well, trust me, your reaction is better than Coleman and the President’s. She had a shit storm when I told her Bug was a level 5 and then fainted when I revealed that she was related to you. Funny as hell and I’m working on custodial rights due to her closest living family being found. Right now, once Nancy is released from the hospital, she will become the legal guardian of Bug.”

“If she recovers…” Eugene muttered, setting what little was left on the sandwich back on the table. For a bit, neither said anything. Then Eugene looked Galen straight in the eye, seemingly trying to read his mind. “Tell me, why did you act the way you did, always telling my mother, your wife, that if she failed, you would take Bug away, but at the same time, always tried to convince the government that keeping her with Nancy was the right answer. What game were you playing?”

Galen stared at Eugene for a minute or so, mulling over how he would go about answering that question. “In my defense, it was Frederick and Dr. Silas’ idea.”

Eugene glared at Galen. “Why were you, Dr. Silas, and my baby brother conspiring together to make the girl’s life horrible?”

“We didn’t want to hurt the girl but we had no choice,” Galen admitted.

“You always have a choice,” retorted Eugene.

“Not this time,” he admitted. “There were too many coincidences, too many things happening at once. You know of one, the Falling Star. If you recall, the color was pure blue, not a color of something in atmospheric reentry. And it came down in the same general location that Bug was found. I’m willing to bet that the Falling Star was Bug.”

Eugene narrowed his eyes. “That’s a stretch.”

“Is it? Let me remind you, that week that she was found, they were calling for a sunny fall week, perhaps the best weather we have had in awhile. And then, the second the Falling Star, or should I say, Bug, crashes in the farmlands of Rockbridge County, a massive blizzard forms over the east coast with no warning and drops three feet of snow. And not just here. Worldwide reports of weather anomalies took place over a three-day period, starting the second Bug hit the ground. Eugene… there was a massive thunderstorm… at the South Pole. It rained for six hours… in -32 degree weather. Even if Bug was not aware of it, it’s clear now that her powers caused a massive shift in global weather. That kind of power? No doubt it attracted unwanted attention. And if she used her powers any more than she had to, it could lead those who were responsible for the drone attack right to her.”

Eugene’s face softened. “And that’s why you ordered Nancy to keep Bug from using her abilities. You had no idea who or what was after her.”

Galen nodded. “Exactly. My behavior was a play to rout out anybody who may have been more familiar with her than the rest of us and to see who I could trust. Once I could trust someone, I dropped the act. I just didn’t expect Bug being a level 5 or the Creators getting involved or even Dr. Silas being killed.”

“Yeah…” Eugene took another bite of the sandwich. “Still, you could have allowed her to play around with her powers with adult supervision. Anywho, my mother will wake up soon. I want you to be there to answer any question she has. You clearly took this better than the rest of us. As for me, I’m going to see about using Lacey’s mental abilities to communicate with Bug’s abilities. The doc says that they have developed a will of their own, and if that’s the case, then theoretically, we can communicate with them, see if we can get them to allow the doctors to help her.”

Galen nodded. “Such a simple plan. However, I feel the need to mention the fact that I believe her when she says her memory is gone. So that means, for all her power, there exists something that can overcome even her power, perhaps another level 5 that’s even stronger than her. For what it seems that she went through, what makes you think that her powers would even take the time to even listen to Lacey? They clearly don’t trust doctors.”

Eugene pondered for a bit, considering this. “That’s jumping to conclusions about the nature of Level 5s and how their powers work and what age they fully manifest. However, despite these unknowns, we must try.”

----------------

Lacey, too deep in thought on her way back from the bathroom, didn’t notice the doctor until they knocked heads with each other. Lacey caught herself, snapping her out of her train of thought, but the doctor was knocked off her feet, dumping all the files she was carrying. The stain on the rug made Lacey realize that she had also knocked the doctor’s coffee on the floor. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

The doctor put her glasses back on and looked around at the mess. “It’s alright. These things happen.” The doctor started cleaning up the mess and Lacey got down to help her, getting a good look at the doctor in the process. She was apparently Japanese or Chinese, maybe even Korean, but something more. Her face was marked by scars, signs of trauma, a common sight on doctors who’d served on the frontlines, but her eyes… they were something else, familiar-looking. Lacey did not recognize the face, but those eyes struck a chord. They weren’t pure blue like Bug’s, but dark brown. But Lacey knew that she had seen them before.

The doctor caught her staring at her face, causing Lacey to turn around, embarrassed. The doctor, whose ID read Dr. Elizabeth Hara, finished gathering her files up and stood up, a bit taller than Lacey, studying her. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to General Frederick Rodes?”

“Uh… yeah, he’s my uncle.”

Recognition flashed across the doctor’s face. “You must be Dr. Eugene Rodes’ kid, Larissa Kira Rodes.”

Lacey felt uneasy with this doctor knowing her full name. Eyes aside, Lacey had never met this doctor before. “It’s just Lacey,” she corrected.

“Lacey then. A level 4, right?” Dr. Hara asked.

“Uh… I’m a level 3 telepath. Trust me, if I was a level 4, everybody in the world would know.”

“Are you sure?”

Lacey rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. Now, please excuse me, I need to get back to my family.”

“Of course.” The doctor stepped aside and let Lacey pass. But as Lacey walked down the hallway, she could still feel the doctor’s eyes boring into her back. A feeling of dread overcame her, a desire to get as far away as she possibly could from that doctor. Lacey knew that reading minds was a social taboo and considered to be a huge violation of privacy, but she didn’t need to read that doctor’s mind to know that something wasn’t right with her.

----------

Later on, Lacey was being prepped for a mind jump. In a world that despised telepaths, there was one area that they were welcomed in. The medical field, with telepaths specifically specializing in coma patients, using their powers to enter their minds and wake them up. Since they couldn’t get a trained medical telepath, Lacey was automatically volunteered.

“I told you, Dad, her mind is sealed off. I can’t access it,” Lacey reminded her father yet again.

“I know, honey, but with any luck, the Will of Bug’s powers can be accessed and reasoned with. There is something that they are protecting from, but if we can convince them that we will do her no harm and have her best interests in mind, they may allow us to care for her. Otherwise, she's as good as dead,” said Eugene, inputting calculations into the device that would allow her powers to flow into Bug. “Now, remember, this device is only meant to help you lock onto the mind you want to enter. After that, you’re on your own, but this device does serve as an alert system.” Eugene placed the device, which looked like a pair of futuristic headphones, on his daughter’s head and connected it to a watch. “This watch has a mental link to your powers and will be with you while you’re in the dreamscape. Just press on and it will alert us here to bring you out. Alright, Lacey?”

Lacey gave a thumbs up. “I’m good, Dad. Send me in.”

“Alright then. Good luck, sweetheart.” Eugene gave a signal to the assistant, who gave her a shot to put her under. Lacey had been told that while this drug was designed to put her body to sleep, it hypercharged the area of the brain that controlled the ability. Plus, it was supposed to be very effective, despite noting being administered by IV, being an invention of the war. No doubt, Lacey was already feeling its effects, having the start of a migraine while feeling extremely drowsy.

But just before she zonked out, something happened. Time slowed, the drowsiness vanished and the migraine went away, replaced with a low growl. She heard it immediately, the sound of claws scraping against the tile floor, growing louder and louder as whoever approached. Everybody was frozen in time, except for her and the creature approaching. With every step, Lacey felt her dread grow.

After what seemed like an eternity, the creature emerged through the doorway. Rising up on its hind legs, a clawed paw scraping over the wall, Lacey came face to face with a very large brown bear. For a moment, it just studied her, but that was short lived. The bear slammed down on the floor, shattering the very room as it roared. The room gave way to nothingness, and soon Lacey found herself in a dark void with just the bear. It raised a humongous paw with claws as sharp as obsidian to strike her down. Lacey screamed, holding her hands up in a fruitless attempt to defend herself. What this was, it was extremely clear to Lacey that this was no bear. She had no idea what to do against this creature and in a void of absolute darkness, there was nothing to do, not even run.

Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut in fear, waiting for this bear-like creature to strike her down. But it never came. Instead, she felt a breeze and the warmth of the sun shining down on her. Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself not in the hospital nor the black void, but a large forest that stretched as far as the eye could see, with snow-capped mountains cresting the sky beyond the forest itself. In the small clearing that she now stood, the bear was gone, replaced by a small animal sitting on a tree stump. The meow made it clear that it was a cat, but not only that; this cat, who was white with a rust colored face, paws, and tail, along with blue eyes, was familiar. “I’ve seen you before,” Lacey muttered as she slowly approached it.

“I bet you have, Cuddlefish,” said a voice that emerged from the trees like a galloping wind. “He’s been hanging out with you guys.” Although it was deeper than she last remembered it, she recognized the voice. Lacey turned around to where the path led deeper into a valley, finding her brother, Jared, materializing from behind a tree, standing tall against the pine trees that filled this forest. “Or did you not see him hanging around Paige’s house that night?” Lacey briefly thought back to that night. She had seen a cat, but it was dark and she’d paid the cat little attention. Now she could see the cat clearly in her head. It was white, with a rust-colored face, paws, and tail, and even though it was night time, the blue eyes shone clearly as day; just like the cat that was sitting here. Her mind wandered to the fact that all this cat had done at that house was watch them.

Lacey shook those memories out of her head almost as soon as they flow through her mind because the more shocking revelation stood ten feet away, calling Lacey by her old nickname, Cuddlefish. She ran without thinking right into his arms and embraced her long-dead brother. “Jared… how… why are you here? I thought you were dead.”

Jared broke the embrace. “How have you been, Cuddlefish? Has the family been treating you okay?”

Lacey shrugged, “I’ve been fine, although as of late, my life has been quite the roller coaster. And Dad and our brothers and sister are treating me fairly, despite the fact that I’m the only one in our family to be a telepath. But mom… she’s still the same.” Jared nodded as he pondered it all. “You should know, Jared, after they kicked you out, they did try to make up for it.”

Jared smiled as he leaned down to her height and put his hand on her shoulder in a brotherly way. “I know. But Cuddlefish, you should know, they didn’t mean well when they tried.” Jared ruffled her hair as he got up and walked over to the cat, rubbing its chin. “So I suspect that you have many questions, possibly ranging from ‘Am I dead?’ to ‘What is this place?’, probably with ‘What heck is this cat?’ thrown in.”

Lacy nodded. “Yes. I have so many questions.”

Jared’s smile grew better. “That’s the Cuddlefish I remember, always curious, always asking way too many questions. Unfortunately, there are more pressing matters at hand. Bug.” Lacey tried to tell him what was going on, but Jared raised his hand to stop her. “I know what’s going on and I know why you are here. You want to talk to Bug’s powers because Dad finally figured out why Bug’s powers are so inconsistent, and due to her powers automatically preventing any of you from accessing her mind, this is the next best option.”

Lacey grew wide eyed, astonished that Jared knew. “How…”

Her brother laughed. “Oh, Cuddlefish, don’t look surprised. Abrax filled me in before you arrived.”

“Uh… who’s Abrax?” Lacey asked, confused.

Jared nodded to the cat, who was now licking his paws in an effort to clean his face. “Abrax is his real name. But don’t worry, he doesn’t mind Jamie calling him Woodsy.” Lacey had to giggle at that. Of course Jamie… Wait? It clicked in her mind that Jared hadn’t called her Bug, but Jamie. “So, Cuddlefish, now you know her real name.”

Lacey could only smile. “Jamie… it fits her.”

Jared nodded in agreement. “It’s a beautiful name for her,” he said in an almost fatherly way. “Now, as I was saying, what you planned to do, it won’t work. They won’t listen. She’s been through way too much, so they are long past listening. Still though, there is a chance. If you and Grandma promise her, no, swear to her that no harm will ever come to her, her abilities may back off and allow the doctors to treat her.”

“Then she’ll be okay!?!?” Lacey asked, full of hope that Jamie would pull through.

Jared gave her a sad, pitying look. “Unfortunately no. She has a long road ahead of her. She caused a considerable amount of damage to her body when she used her powers to bring Grandma back to life and may very well die.” Jared choked up on his words when he said that she could die. “But we must not falter.”

“There is one problem; Grandma is still in a coma and the doctors have judged it too much of a risk to use my telepathy to try to wake her,” Lacey pointed out, but Jared waved that off.

“Don’t worry about Grandma. Abrax and I will handle it,” Jared said, giving Lacey an assuring thumbs up. “However, I sense that you still want to try to talk to Bug’s powers.” It was true, Lacey still wanted to try. She owed her that much and her resolve seemed to convince him. “Very well. However, what you will find will not be in a talking mood.” Jared motioned to the cat, who got up, stretched, sat back down and raised his front left paw.

“Wait, Jared,” Lacey begged.

Both Abrax and Jared paused, with the latter giving her a small smile. “I know, Cuddlefish. There will come a time that we can talk. Just have patience.” Abrax brought his paw down against the tree stump, causing it to glow. Ancient-looking runes appeared engraved in the earth and in the trees. The lightshow was spectacular -- that is, until the ground gave way and Lacey fell into a void of nothingness.

The abyss seemed endless, but Lacey hit whatever amounted to the ground mere moments after falling into the void. Despite feeling solid blackness under her, she felt no pain from the impact. In fact, she felt nothing here. She felt no air enter her lungs everytime she took a breath and she could feel nothing against the skin of her hand. Yet, despite the darkness, Lacey could make out something sprawled out in the distance. Lacey instinctively called out upon realizing that it was a person and despite the fact that whatever this place was had no air, her voice was crystal clear in the void.

Slowly getting to her feet, Lacey slowly approached the figure. The closer she got, the more she could make out. It was a girl, wearing a flowing white dress, sprawled out on the ground unconscious. Lacey got even closer, noticing that the girl’s hair color was mostly pink, with spots of brown splashed about, and finally realized that this girl was Bug. “Bug? BUG!” Lacey yelled, trying to wake her. Bug did not stir, so Lacey picked up her pace.

But as Lacey grew closer to the unconscious Bug, something began to materialize around her. At first, Lacey thought it was some sort of snake, as she could see the body come into focus, wrapped around Bug in a coil. Then, as the body grew more solid and Bug disappeared behind the coiled creature, Lacey came face to face with not a large snake, but a huge Chinese dragon, wrapped around Bug, protecting her. Scars lined the side of its skull, the eyes burned, and a quiet but malicious growl could be heard, making it clear that it didn’t see her as a friend, but as an enemy. To Lacey, no doubt, this was a manifestation of Bug’s powers and it was most clearly not in a talking mood.

It was clear that this was a hopeless endeavor. Bug’s powers were manifesting in the form of a dragon. How was Lacey even supposed to talk to this… thing? Unfortunately, she never had a chance. Without provocation, the dragon roared and lunged at her, Lacey waking up mere seconds before it had a chance to slam its huge jaws and teeth down on her body.

Clutching her chest, her heart pounding, Lacey attempted to catch her breath as she fell off the bed, the fear hitting her like a brick wall. Her father raced to her side, grabbing the device off her head. “Breathe, honey, just breathe.” It took a bit, but Lacey got her breathing under control and the fear subsided.

“How… long was… I in there?” Lacey asked between breaths.

Her father gave her an odd look. “What do you mean? Lacey, honey, the device fried the moment we turned it on. You’ve been under for only a minute. Somehow, the drug didn’t take effect.” It took a second for her dad to realize the implication of what she asked. “What did you see, Lacey?”

Instead of answering, her eyes fell on the wall behind them, her fear returning. It had just occurred to her that what she’d experienced could be written off as a fool’s message, something she’d hallucinated. But it seemed Jared and Abrax had planned accordingly. They’d made certain that whatever story she told her father and her family, they would believe her, simply by leaving a message for them all to see. Her father noticed it, walking slowly towards it, afraid that it would lash out. He held his hand out, but he never touched it. “We need Grandma,” Lacey finally answered, staring at the bear claw marks that lined the walls..

----------

Nancy Rodes was preparing the hotdogs and burgers for the Fourth of July barbecue. Her husband, Gale, was on the grill and her sons, Eugene and Charles, were trying to teach little Freddy how to play baseball, with Freddy paying little attention. Her family’s friends had yet to arrive at the Fourth of July barbecue, but Nancy had everything else lined up, snacks, soda, and a bit of beer.

“Honey, are the hamburgers ready?” Gale asked, putting the lid of the grill back down to preserve heat.

“Just let me throw the last bit of spices on it and they will be all yours.” Gale walked up and gave Nancy a kiss on the cheek.

“What a beautiful day,” Gale observed, taking it all in, the cooler temperatures, the light breeze, a clear sky, and no humidity, it was the best weather she had ever seen on a Fourth of July.

“Yes it is,” Nancy replied, smiling, giving her husband a kiss on the lips. After that, the guests began to trickle in and soon enough, the Rodes household was home to a raging barbecue. The adults ate and drank beer, talking about really anything, while the kids kept themselves entertained by playing with sparklers, with adult supervision of course, and showing each other their abilities. Nancy got up to grab another beer and check on her kids, when she heard an unknown, yet very familiar voice.

“Hello, Grandma.” Nancy turned around and came face to face with a tall skinny kid, wearing a variation of the Project Genesis uniform. His hair was long, tied back in a bun, and although he had a thick beard, there was an almost feminine feel to his presence. Not to mention, he wore a big, crooked smile and his eyes -- oh, his eyes were a gateway into something that could not be trusted. “Oh, don’t tell me you have forgotten about me. It’s only been, what, twelve… fifteen years?” He cocked his head, waiting.

“Look, I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave, right now,” Nancy demanded, feeling very uneasy about this guy. Instead, this kid opened a beer and sat down in an empty chair, stretching out, with a white cat jumping up from behind him onto the table. “Gale…” Nancy called to her husband, but to her bewilderment, he didn’t even bat an eye, his face showing no sign that he heard her. In fact, no one seemed to hear or notice the stranger drinking beer. Nancy reached and grabbed Gale’s arm to get his attention, but her hand passed through as if she was a ghost.

The stranger laughed at her horror. “Don’t look so horrified. This is merely a dream. It cannot hurt you.”

“Wha… what did you do?” Nancy demanded, beginning to panic. She tried to reach out with her ability, to feel the emotional forms of her family and friends that only moments before she’d felt in full force. But the only form she could feel was herself. Even though the kid and the cat were physical entities, she could not feel their emotional forms. It was almost as if they didn’t exist.

The kid frowned, pulling out a pocket watch and flipping it open. “We are a bit short of time, so we’re going to take the easy, but quite painful way.” Nancy didn’t even have time to spit out one symbol when the kid used a telekinetic ability to fling her down into a chair. Standing up, he flung his arms out with a whoosh, the wind blowing everybody alway as if they were mere illusions. The cat jumped from one table to the next, bringing itself to eye level with Nancy. It clearly looked like a flame point Siamese, but the eyes were of an entirely different beast. “Now, this is going to hurt.”

The cat reached up and bopped Nancy on the head with one of its paws. Nothing happened at first, but then Nancy was overtaken by the worst headache she had ever had. The pain was indescribable. Memories of her life flooded her mind, but the pain caused them to blur and distort. The memory of her death though hit with full force and she fell off the chair, clutching her head, yelling for it to stop. Eventually, it did as her memories were painfully restored. “Jamie… Jared, what’s… going… on?” Nancy gasped, finally recognizing who this kid was. “Wait… Bug, where’s Bug!?!?”

Jared crushed the can he was drinking and tossed it off to the side. “Right after regaining your memories, you are worried about Bug. Excellent. I don’t have to do the whole ‘questions for another time’ routine.” Jared moved to help her get back on the chair; the pain of the memory restoration had greatly weakened her. “Although... I assume that you do have many questions.”

Nancy rested a cold beer against her head, noticing that a bit of pain remained. “You wouldn’t believe how many, starting with ’Are you really dead?’”

Jared chuckled. “That is a very good question… for another time. Right now, we need to focus on Bug. What is the last thing you remember, Grandma?”

Nancy pondered through her memories, revisiting her death. “I remember… dying, seeing Bug in that field, and then nothing.”

“Well, better than nothing. To recap, you died. My condolences. Then Bug used her powers to restore you to life. Congratulations.” Jared gave Nancy a thumbs up and a small smile. Nancy prided herself on giving everything the benefit of the doubt, even the unbelievable, but this was something she couldn’t quite believe. She knew Bug was incredibly powerful, but restoring her to life? Not even the most powerful level 4s could do anything close to that. For all their great power, they couldn’t cure death, not even in the smallest of creatures. Jared waving his hand got her to focus her attention back on him. “I know what you are thinking. Trust me, there will come time for answers. But now is not the time. Right now, that girl needs you. When she restored you to life, she pushed her powers far beyond her body's limits and we both know what that means. Now her powers are preventing all doctors from doing anything to save her.”

“Why?” Nancy attempted to ask, but Jared waved it off.

“That’s not important right now. What’s important is that because of the love Bug feels for both you and Lacey, there is a chance that if you two can reassure her enough, her abilities will let their guard down and the doctors could work on saving her. However, I must warn you that even if you are successful, Bug is far from being out of the woods. The damage was catastrophic and she has a very long road ahead of her, provided she even survives.”

Nancy leaned back in her chair, mulling over everything Jared just told her. “I’ll do anything for her. I remember what I told her back in that… place, blood related or not, I love her as a daughter.”

Jared smiled, the warmth of it reminding her how much she had missed her grandson. “That’s good to hear. I’m going to send you back now. Good luck.”

Jared raised his hand, seemingly preparing to do exactly as he said, but Nancy stopped. “Wait, Jared. Before you send me back, tell me, do you know who she really is and where she comes from?”

Jared took a second to contemplate before sighing. “Yes, I know everything about her. But I’m gonna make this clear. It is within everybody’s best interests, including Bug, that her past remains lost.” Jared’s voice had lost its warming touch and had now taken on an acidic tone. “I’m going to warn you only once. Do not look into her past. If you do, the consequences will be catastrophe worldwide and you and everybody you hold dear will perish.” The cat hissed, Jared snapped his fingers, and Nancy found herself awake in a hospital room, gasping for air, deeply shaken by Jared’s warning.

-------

It didn’t take long for everybody to rush to Grandma Nancy’s side after news reached them that she had finally awakened, three days after being restored to life by Bug. Lacey watched as Galen finally told Nancy what they had learned. Bug’s younger age, her believed past torture, her abilities having a will of their own, her being related to their family, and finally, Bug being a level 5 superhuman, the first in over two thousand years. And through all of this, Lacey couldn’t help but notice that there was a hint of fear in her grandma’s eyes. It was obvious that once Jared had sent her on her way, he and Abrax had done as he said he would; he’d woken her up.

It was reasonable to assume Jared had not shown Grandma the true form of Bug’s powers, nor were there any signs of the bear-like entity that had sent her to that… place anywhere in the room. So it was likely that whatever Grandma Nancy feared, it was Jared’s doing. But now wasn’t the time to ponder on what Jared might have done to her, as there was Bug to deal with. The doctors had just informed her father that Bug’s condition had gotten worse and if something wasn’t done very soon, she wouldn’t make the hour. As quickly as they could, Lacey and Nancy told everybody what they needed to do while they waited for the doctor to clear them for entry due to wartime protocols.

“How is it that you have come across this information? The doctors have tried everything and nothing has worked, yet you two seem to think that just talking to her while she’s in a coma will solve all our problems,” Galen doubted.

Lacey sighed. This part she hadn’t told her father… or anybody for that matter. “Jared told me.”

A sense of shock filled the room. “Jared?” her mother asked in disbelief.

Lacey glanced at her grandma, who nodded for her to continue. “Yeah, Jared.”

“How?” Riley asked.

“Where?” another family member questioned.

“Is he dead or alive?” one of her cousins inquired.

“Woah… woah… woah. I get we all have a lot of questions. I do too, but there literally isn’t time. You were right, Dad. Bug’s powers do possess a will of their own. And they have a bit of a trust issue. But Jared believes that if Grandma and I just talk to Bug, just reassure her that she’ll be safe, her powers will back off,” Lacey explained.

However, she could tell that everybody had varying opinions about this. “Why are we supposed to believe you?” Charles’ oldest son, Gabriel, asked, eyeing her, seemingly skeptical of everything she had said.

“Gabe, not now,” Charles muttered under his breath.

Gabe ignored his father. “You said Jared gave you this information? For what? Let’s just say for a moment that Jared isn’t dead and he gave you that information. After thirteen years, he clearly wants nothing to do with us and we all have mixed feelings about him. Hell, the only reason why we even call him as he desired is because he’s a war hero. So why help save this girl?”

“Maybe because he gives a damn, unlike you? Did it ever occur to you that maybe he and Bug knew each other and Jared is reaching out because he cares for her?” Lacey snapped.

“But why make it so mysterious? Why visit in the dreams? If he cared so much about her, why isn’t he here?” Gabriel countered.

Lacey gripped the chair in an effort to remain calm. “After the way you treated him, the way you all rejected him?”

“Ahh, but no email, no letter, no courier? Even Uncle Frederick at least sends emails. You would expect Jared, someone who apparently cares for an amnesic Level 5 girl that showed up and has caused such chaos in the family, to give enough of a damn to at least bother checking in on her. Yet he isn't here. Why do you think that is? Hmm…. tell me, Larissa. Why should we give a damn about anything your beloved brother says?”

Lacey glared at Gabe, ready to attack him for attacking her brother, but Galen stepped between them. “Enough,” he started. “I understand there is a cause for concern. While it's true that the circumstances make the quality of information questionable at best, despite this, it’s also the only option we have left, plus, it costs nothing and it can’t hurt. So right now, Gabe, shut your mouth and let's get this over with.”

Lacey watched Uncle Galen and her father helped her Grandma into a wheelchair, before pushing her out the room. Lacey, naturally, followed, but when the rest of the family attempted to follow, Galen stopped them. “I was dutifully informed on how your last interaction with Bug went and I have to say that all those abusive things you said to a scared, confused twelve-year old girl does such wonders for trust, don’t you think?” Lacey glanced at her grandma, whose reaction was not quite what she expected. Instead of shock or anger, she just lowered her head in disappointment. Everybody else seemed to understand what Galen meant, as they all backed off. “Excellent. Let’s go.”

Lacey, her father, Galen, and her grandma left everybody to stew in their consequences of their treatment of Bug. During the walk to the intensive care unit, Lacey couldn’t help but feel nervous. This would be the first time since Bug had brought her grandma back to life that she would see her. According to the doctors, she was on the verge of death, which meant she probably looked like absolute shit.

The doctors quickly ushered them through by her father’s authorization right to the room Bug had been placed in. And to say that her heart dropped was an understatement. “Oh my God,” her grandma gasped. On the bed was a girl that they knew was Bug, but who looked nothing like her. She was deathly pale, her body nearly skin and bones. Even though she was unconscious, her face showed pain, severe pain and her body struggled to breath. It was a miracle that she was still alive at this point. “Alright, Lacey, let’s give it a shot,” her grandma finally said, struggling to keep her composure.

“Remember, every doctor, even me, that has tried to get anywhere near her has received a nasty shock,” her father warned.

“I understand, Dad.” Lacey slowly reached down and clasped her hand, fully expecting Bug’s powers to defend her. But the shock never came.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” her father muttered, surprised at the turn of events. It was heartwarming to know that despite what had happened, Bug still trusted her. Her grandma was next, Galen pushing her wheelchair up so she could clasp Bug’s other hand. Once again, her powers did nothing. Her grandma couldn’t help but smile, tears starting to form.

“Bug,” her grandma started to say. “I don’t even know where to begin. I just… I…”

“What Grandma is trying to say, Bug...” Lacey interrupted her grandma when she couldn’t find the words, “is that there is a lot we need to apologize for as a family. You gave me my grandmother back. So let us give something back to you.” Lacey nodded to her grandma to continue.

“Bug, you will be able to return home, safe and sound from all those may have hurt you in the past, because I swear on my life that no harm will come to you here. You will be safe,” Nancy reassured Bug while gently stroking her hand.

“I told you that you were my sister. Nothing has changed and as my little sister, I will do everything in my power to protect you, just like you protected me from the Destructors,” Lacey promised.

Jared had told Lacey that it would only work, if it even did, with Lacey and Nany, something Lacey had passed on to them. However, that did not stop her father from joining in. “I know I have little standing. I’ve tried my best to support you, but now I realize that it wasn’t enough. There was so much we could have given had we just looked a little deeper. So you have my word as well that as long as I live, I will do anything in my power to ensure that you are safe from whoever hurt you in the past. And I can speak for Galen here that he will do the same.” Galen nudged her father, but the small smile on his face showed that he would indeed do anything in his power to protect her. In fact, he already had.

That gave Lacey an idea. “I’m more than certain that the Creators wouldn’t mind taking turns here as guards. You did save them, after all.”

Her grandma’s smile grew from resolve. It was a miracle, after all; in the beginning, Bug had had nothing. But now, she had everybody willing to stand up to protect her so she could have a chance to survive. It was a true shock to Lacey to discover that Bug was in some way related to them. But now, when she looked back on everything that Bug had done for her, for her grandmother, even for the Creators, Lacey couldn’t help but feel that Bug finding her way into their family was no accident.

It was at this moment that it dawned on Lacey that Jared had not specified how long it would take for this to work. Plus, even he wasn’t sure this was going to work. For a few moments, nothing happened and Lacey could see her grandma’s smile waver in fear that this wasn’t working. Lacey herself feared that it would take too long to work. But then, out of nowhere, pink lines began to crisscross Bug’s body, forming what appeared to be runes and artistic figures, glowing brighter by the second. A brief moment, the symbols grew so bright that Lacey could feel her skin begin to burn. But then they vanished as quickly as they appeared, leaving everybody a bit confused as to what had just happened.

Tentatively, Galen reached down and put his hand on her forehead, on guard for the backlash. But it never came. Bug’s powers didn’t react. “Well, I’ll be damned. It freaking worked.”

Nancy sighed with relief. “Oh, thank God. Thank you, God and thank you, Jared.”

“Yeah, thank you, Jared…” Galen agreed. “Also, she’s burning up. She needs help right now!”

Lacey and everybody got out the way as doctors and nurses swarmed Bug, prepared to do everything in their power to save her. They all knew she had a very long road ahead and that there was still a good chance that she could still die. But now Lacey took solace that everything that could be done to save her would be done. There was a chance.

-------------

Secretary Coleman sat in a booth at a reclusive bar in Washington, one that was usually visited by people whose best interest was to keep a low profile. After the massive fuck-up in his attempt to take that girl into custody and the humalitation of him and his SEAL team being defeated by that wannabe kid superhero team, it was a damn miracle that he hadn’t been fired… yet. Besides, it was in his best interest to lay low for a few hours while the rest of the government acclimated to the idea that the Level 5s were no longer extinct and that the best that science had to offer was absolutely no match for their kind of power.

Hee pondered his next plan, as well as ordering another drink, he heard someone clear their throat. He looked up to see who wanted to bother him and felt his heart drop. It was a woman, with her hair cut very short, and a few scars lining her face. Coleman immediately recognized her. “Jerri Rodes?” he sputtered, shocked that Nancy Rodes’ dead adopted daughter was standing right next to him.

She smirked and took a seat at the booth. “Well, I may have once been Jerri Rodes,” she said with a voice that he knew all too well. “But she isn’t home right now. Call me Vani.”

“What… no… how are you alive? You died in that explosion at the hospital. How is this even possible?” Coleman stuttered, still in shock.

‘Jerri’ simply smiled and snatched the drink the waiter brought, taking a deep, long drink. “I may be Jerri, but I am not her. I’m Vani.” She downed her drink and ordered another one. “Let's get right to the point, shall we? We know about your little attempt to take the girl. Trust me, it was never going to work. Even if the Creators hadn’t shown up, the girl would have crushed every single one of you. Now, fortunately, my superiors and I desire to see you succeed. That is why we are going to help you.”

“Why would I ever accept help from you? One phone call and you’re dead.” Coleman reached for the gun hidden under the booth, but found it missing.

“Looking for this?” Vani asked, holding up the gun that he was looking for. “Please, it was the first thing I disarmed when I sat down. Now, as for why, well, Terremoto… you remember her, right? Elias’s second in command who escaped your grasp? She has already killed Dr. Silas… your sister. Plus, the fact that no one in your government is even aware that Terremoto is stateside again means she can strike at any point, including taking out that boarding school you sent your son to. Eastern River Military Academy in Blackburn, Virginia. Dorm 23 B, window bed, if I’m not mistaken.”

Coleman grabbed the knife he kept in his jacket, but then smiled, he set the knife down on the table and let the masquerade crumble away. “Impressive, if I do say so myself. However, my bastard son was transferred to West Point last week. But other than that, the remnants of the Oracle Soldiers are certainly proving themselves under new leadership.”

Vani raised her glass in agreement. “Well, your son is a loyal agent to the cause. No need to keep tabs on him all the time. Besides, Terremoto is strict, but fair and benevolent, taking after her master… our leader.”

Coleman felt a sense of pride speaking of his old leader. “Elias was a good man, undeserving of the death inflicted upon him by Susy and the Remnants of Providence. If only I could have done something to spare him from that fate, he would still be around, winning the war and leading all of humanity into a new era of absolute peace.”

“It wasn’t your fault. Even as his loyal and trustworthy spy, there was no way for you to know what Susy and those fuckups Frederick and Galen were planning. His blood is not on your hands,” Vani consoled Coleman.

“I still feel responsible…” Coleman muttered, filled with the guilt of letting his true leader down.

“We all do,” Vani reassured.

“Well, I must say, wearing Jerri’s body out in the open is a considerable risk,” Coleman warned, but Vani waved it off.

“Our operative at the hospital assures us that the entire family, including Galen, are busy fu.”

Coleman finished his drink, ready to talk business. “Killing my sister. That was too close. She was on verge of discovering my true loyalties and informing Galen. I tried to permanently silence Galen, but Holly got to him first.”

“That’s understandable. We’ve been trying to eliminate Person and Hikaro for years, but they’ve always managed to slip away. Now what about Cane?” Vani asked.

Coleman reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a dog tag, dropping it on the table. “Mission was successful. We were able to confirm without a shadow of a doubt that the girl is a level 5 and I was able to use them to eliminate a highly unstable operative. That fact that he told a bunch of bullshit to the girl was an added bonus.”

“And the status of the Creators and the Destructors?” Kani inquired as to the status of the pawns they used in this plot.

Coleman snapped his fingers and the waiter that had been bringing them drinks brought a file over. Coleman noticed Vani’s confusion about the waiter. “What? You don’t possibly think that I spent these years since Elias’s unfortunate death on my ass? I built up a base for the return of the Oracles and Terremoto. Everybody in this bar are new soldiers of the Army of the Sword, loyal only to its commandment, the Oracles and the Oracle Soldiers.”

Vani was deeply impressed. “Elias was right to trust you with this role in our fight to better the world and that trust has been rewarded.”

“Damn right,” Coleman agreed, opening the file. “Now, I’m pleased to inform you and Terremoto that the Destructors were wiped out. And with the added benefit of killing their leader, Sybil, without needing to use any resources for infiltration. You can tell Terremoto that my alterations to the design of the Siphon Destructor are fully tested and ready to be used to modify all of the 5600 Siphon Destructors in our inventory.”

Vani eyed the reports. “Excellent. Now, the plan. I heard you and a unit of the best Navy SEALS the United States Military had to offer were soundly defeated by the Creators.”

Coleman simply shrugged. “Unfortunately. Those SEALs weren't loyal soldiers of the Army of the Sword and held back. But sometimes these things can’t be avoided. It’s just how life rolls sometimes. However, the fact that the device failed to work on her does shock me. Yeah, she’s a level 5 and it was obvious as hell that our devices would be far less effective, but I figured that hundreds of years of research poured into these devices would be enough to weaken her. No such luck.”

“The fact that the crystals explode in her presence does not help things,” Vani pointed out.

“No, it does not,” Coleman agreed.

“Well, this is why Terremoto has a new plan. One that will benefit everybody involved.”

“Oh?” Coleman exclaimed. “Do tell.”

Vani leaned in, excitement growing. “A much more long-term plan. We are going to kill Nancy Rodes and ensure that there will be no more resurrections.”

Coleman could only smile at the thought of eliminating someone who had been such a nuisance and was the mother of General Rodes, the man who’d helped kill Elias. “Excellent. Once she is dead, not even Galen can stand in our way in avenging Elias, killing Susy, and completing his life’s work.” Vani could only chuckle in agreement. It was only a matter of time before the world knew its true masters.